Drama and Theatre Arts (and Film)

Items

• flat

  A lightweight timber frame covered with scenic canvas, plywood, or hardboard, placed next to each other to build the walls on the stage.
• fly (v)

  The action of lifting up or lowering an item attached to the fly bars down onto the stage.
• fly bar system

  It is a rigging system above the stage used to raise and lower scenery, lights, or curtains.
• fly bars

  The metal bars to which scenery is attached for flying across the stage / usually, lights are also fixed to it.
• fly in

  The action of lowering an item attached to the fly bars down (in).
• fly out

  The action of lifting an item attached to the fly bars up (out).
• follow spot

  A powerful, movable spotlight operated by a technician to follow a performer.
• Formalism

  A movement in art that focuses on how form, structure, and technique (including editing, design, and rhythm) contribute to creating meaning, not just content / it does not acknowledge social or political aspects.
• fourth cinema

  Indigenous filmmaking asserting cultural sovereignty beyond Western frameworks.
• fourth wall

  The imaginary barrier (wall) between performers and audience / breaking it involves directly addressing the audience.
• foyer

  An entrance hall and waiting area for audience members before the commencement of a show.
• framing

  The way visual elements are composed within the boundaries of the camera’s image.
• Fresnel light

  A stage light with a special lens that gives a soft- edged beam, useful for general lighting without sharp shadows.
• front of house

  All public areas of the theatre (foyer / lobby, box office, bathrooms, auditorium) / also, the staff who serve the audience.
• funding proposal

  A document compiled to persuade potential donors, sponsors, or investors to provide funding or resources for a project, cause, organisation, or event.
• gaffer

  The gaffer is the cable technician in the theatre and film industry.
• gaffer tape / gaff tape / gaff

  Ubiquitous sticky cloth tape, almost like duct tape, mostly used to tape cabling down onto the floor / usually in matt black to blend in with the stage colour.
• garderobe

  A storage area where all the costumes of the theatre or company are housed.
• gauze / scrim

  A coarsely woven fabric that is opaque when lit from the front and transparent when lit from the back.
• genre (drama)

  A category of drama (e.g., tragedy, comedy, farce, melodrama) that is defined by style and characteristic conventions.
• genre film

  A type of film defined by style, theme, or content (e.g., horror, comedy, documentary).
• gesture

  Expressive body movements used by actors to convey emotion or character traits.
• gestus

  Bertolt Brecht’s concept of a gesture revealing social attitudes and class relations.
• get-in / move-in

  The process of moving a set, props, and other hardware into the theatre before a production.
• get-out / move- out

  The process of moving an entire production (set, props, and hardware) out of the theatre after a run.